1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recording apparatuses for recoding on media. In particular, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus to be used in an information processing unit, such as a printer, a copying machine, a word processor, or a computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, ink-jet recording apparatuses have become common and widely used for various applications. Generally, in an ink-jet recording apparatus, recording media are inserted downwardly at the back surface of a recording unit, the recording unit records on the media, and the recording media after recording are discharged toward the front of the recording unit. When a recording head and an ink tank mounted on a carriage are replaced, a lid covering an upper part of the recording unit must be moved upwardly to open the recording unit.
In another type of ink-jet recording apparatus, the recording media are inserted from the front of the recording unit, the media are inverted by a media inverting unit provided at the rear of the recording unit, and the recording media after recording are discharged toward the front of the recording apparatus. In this type of the ink jet recording apparatus, the lid covering the upper part of the recording unit must also be moved upwardly to open the recording unit when the recording head and the ink tank mounted on the carriage are replaced.
However, since a space for transferring the media from insertion and recording to discharge after recording, and a space above the recording apparatus for removing the lid when the recording head and the ink tank mounted on the carriage are replaced are required in the known ink-jet recording apparatuses, there is a problem in that quite a lot of space is necessary other than the space required for a main body of the recording apparatus.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus in which the space required when the recording apparatus is used is reduced without impairing the function of the recording apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus in which the space required for transferring media from insertion and recording to discharge after recording and the space above the recording apparatus required for raising a lid when a recording head and an ink tank mounted on a carriage are replaced, are also reduced.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.